Duvall State Prison, a fictional Massachusetts correctional institution, is modeled after Massachusetts Correctional Institution—Concord, an all-male medium-security prison with an operational capacity of 752 inmates. Demographic and social data has been gathered by the Massachusetts Department of Correction and will serve as the basis for our project’s target audience. Library-specific data include a synthesis of various sources that will make up the fictional Duvall State Prison Library’s study data, survey data, and resulting feedback.
As a medium-security correctional institution, Duvall State Prison inmates require constant supervision and may pose a threat to staff and orderly personnel as related to their criminal charges or may be considered more likely to try to escape the facility. This status also suggests that Duvall has greater work and program opportunities for inmates who consistently respect the prison’s rules and regulations (Massachusetts Department of Correction, n.d.).
Purpose
The primary purpose of Duvall State Prison Library, according to inmates, is recreational reading. Other major reasons for the library include lifelong learning, staying up-to-date with the outside world, and enhancing business/vocational skills to aid with reentry. Rehabilitation, also a major aspect of prison libraries, is also listed as a purpose; however, this is not as commonly identified as the aforementioned factors. Legal resources are the next most popular response behind rehabilitation, despite the requirement for prisons to provide adequate assistance to support inmates through allowing access to law-related materials (Conrad, 2012, p. 420).
(Massachusetts Department of Correction, 2016)
Demographic information
Demographically, 42% of inmates at Duvall State Prison identify as white/Caucasian, making up the highest number of individuals from a single race. Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino individuals identify themselves as such 28% and 27% respectively. The remaining population is 2% Asian, with an additional 1% representing other ethnicities.
Inmates ages range from 17 to 92. Approximately 52% of inmates are between the ages of 20 and 39. Individuals 40+ make up 48% of the prison’s current population (Massachusetts Department of Correction, 2016).
Key informants & their roles
Inmates that frequently visit the library are the primary key informants for assessing patron needs. Due to the library’s popularity with these individuals, their opinions regarding the current collection, as well as their material requests, will be highly considered in the development process. To reduce repetition in assessing the needs of library patrons, inmates will have the opportunity to respond to a collection development questionnaire. A variety of quantitative questions will be included, as will a few open-ended questions designed to gather qualitative data from individuals based on personal experience of library use. This will eliminate the need for personal interviews with each individual patron, allowing them to provide unique feedback on their own terms and without potential for judgment by peers.
Those who work and/or volunteer in the prison library, including inmates from the prison work program and staff hired from outside, will also be included in the collection development process as key informants. The workers’ perspective on the needs of prisoners is taken into account, as they have firsthand knowledge that may not otherwise be considered. This population will participate in interviews that will help in developing relevant survey questions for library patrons to clearly assess their needs regarding the collection.
Research methods
Upon entering the Duvall State Prison Library, inmates will be prompted to complete the questionnaire. The survey will be voluntary since the library does not promote turning any user away at their point of need; this method for collecting responses should be more effective than having patrons complete the survey upon checking out items because it will measure the needs of library users that may not check items out. The survey’s purpose, as well as its confidential nature, will be effectively communicated and explained to all who elect to complete the questionnaire.
Duvall State Prison Library Collection Development Questionnaire A random sample of no fewer than 30 nonusers of prison library resources will be selected in an attempt to decrease potential bias in the survey’s design and to effectively evaluate whether the library is not being used by this population for any reason relating to the collection or a fault of the institution’s. In order to rectify any identified limitations, the library may have, responses to these questions are crucial to the collection development process; this represents the library’s effort to assess and hopefully meet the needs of a broader range of prisoners. State laws prohibiting inmate access to certain materials will be considered throughout this research as well.
Once survey results are compiled, library workers will meet to analyze this data and determine whether there were any flaws in the process that need to be addressed. This should provide an unbiased and complete view on the needs of the library, ensuring that the library staff and patrons’ opinions are effectively incorporated in the needs assessment.
Information management
Comprehensive anonymous questionnaire results will be passed along to the warden, then a visual presentation of these results will be prepared for other relevant parties, such as other prison librarians and education specialists. By doing this, Duvall State Prison Library will follow proper protocol for sharing information within the institution, recognizing both legal and budgetary parameters.
Survey results will also be communicated to library workers and staff in order to obtain internal feedback. The most efficient way to conduct this would be through a round-table forum, encouraging an open dialogue on how to properly address the needs of prison library users. The purpose of this informal session will be to listen to workers’ feedback, to exchange ideas, and to answer any questions before setting anything into motion.
Survey results
(Conrad, 2012, p. 419)
The library’s collection is small but generally well-balanced.
Local newspapers were the most popular in the news category.
Urban fiction and general fiction, as well as inspirational books, and humor are among the most popular picks.
Most requested materials to add to the collection include books about the human body, urban fiction, and a wider range of ethnic interest materials.
Most popular fiction categories: urban, action/adventure, horror, crime/mystery, sci-fi/fantasy, series
Most popular nonfiction categories: history, health, biographies, psychology, business/vocational/career (Shirley, 2004)
Taking action
Using the results of the needs assessment, the Duvall State Prison Library will order more titles in general and urban fiction categories, as well as humor and inspiration, considering the plausibility of content such as materials on human biology, true crime, and other controversial topics. Considering legal and budgetary limitations, the library will continue to develop the collection through donations from Prison Book Program and other similar organizations. Furthermore, Duvall will create a schedule to determine when the next needs assessment should take place in order to consistently meet the ever-changing needs of the prison’s inmates and maintain a well-stocked, balanced collection.
Bibliography
The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies. (n.d.). Excerpt from Library Standards for Adult Correctional Institutions. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ascla/resources/librarystandards
Conrad, S. (2012, October). Collection development and circulation policies in prison libraries: An exploratory survey of librarians in US correctional institutions. The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy, 82(4), 407-427.
Shirley, G. (2004, September 2). What do prisoners read? Prison libraries and collection development. Retrieved from http://olos.ala.org/columns/?p=113
Introducing Duvall State Prison
Duvall State Prison, a fictional Massachusetts correctional institution, is modeled after Massachusetts Correctional Institution—Concord, an all-male medium-security prison with an operational capacity of 752 inmates. Demographic and social data has been gathered by the Massachusetts Department of Correction and will serve as the basis for our project’s target audience. Library-specific data include a synthesis of various sources that will make up the fictional Duvall State Prison Library’s study data, survey data, and resulting feedback.
As a medium-security correctional institution, Duvall State Prison inmates require constant supervision and may pose a threat to staff and orderly personnel as related to their criminal charges or may be considered more likely to try to escape the facility. This status also suggests that Duvall has greater work and program opportunities for inmates who consistently respect the prison’s rules and regulations (Massachusetts Department of Correction, n.d.).
Purpose
The primary purpose of Duvall State Prison Library, according to inmates, is recreational reading. Other major reasons for the library include lifelong learning, staying up-to-date with the outside world, and enhancing business/vocational skills to aid with reentry. Rehabilitation, also a major aspect of prison libraries, is also listed as a purpose; however, this is not as commonly identified as the aforementioned factors. Legal resources are the next most popular response behind rehabilitation, despite the requirement for prisons to provide adequate assistance to support inmates through allowing access to law-related materials (Conrad, 2012, p. 420).
Demographic information
Demographically, 42% of inmates at Duvall State Prison identify as white/Caucasian, making up the highest number of individuals from a single race. Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino individuals identify themselves as such 28% and 27% respectively. The remaining population is 2% Asian, with an additional 1% representing other ethnicities.
Inmates ages range from 17 to 92. Approximately 52% of inmates are between the ages of 20 and 39. Individuals 40+ make up 48% of the prison’s current population (Massachusetts Department of Correction, 2016).
Key informants & their roles
Inmates that frequently visit the library are the primary key informants for assessing patron needs. Due to the library’s popularity with these individuals, their opinions regarding the current collection, as well as their material requests, will be highly considered in the development process. To reduce repetition in assessing the needs of library patrons, inmates will have the opportunity to respond to a collection development questionnaire. A variety of quantitative questions will be included, as will a few open-ended questions designed to gather qualitative data from individuals based on personal experience of library use. This will eliminate the need for personal interviews with each individual patron, allowing them to provide unique feedback on their own terms and without potential for judgment by peers.
Those who work and/or volunteer in the prison library, including inmates from the prison work program and staff hired from outside, will also be included in the collection development process as key informants. The workers’ perspective on the needs of prisoners is taken into account, as they have firsthand knowledge that may not otherwise be considered. This population will participate in interviews that will help in developing relevant survey questions for library patrons to clearly assess their needs regarding the collection.
Research methods
Upon entering the Duvall State Prison Library, inmates will be prompted to complete the questionnaire. The survey will be voluntary since the library does not promote turning any user away at their point of need; this method for collecting responses should be more effective than having patrons complete the survey upon checking out items because it will measure the needs of library users that may not check items out. The survey’s purpose, as well as its confidential nature, will be effectively communicated and explained to all who elect to complete the questionnaire.
Duvall State Prison Library Collection Development Questionnaire
A random sample of no fewer than 30 nonusers of prison library resources will be selected in an attempt to decrease potential bias in the survey’s design and to effectively evaluate whether the library is not being used by this population for any reason relating to the collection or a fault of the institution’s. In order to rectify any identified limitations, the library may have, responses to these questions are crucial to the collection development process; this represents the library’s effort to assess and hopefully meet the needs of a broader range of prisoners. State laws prohibiting inmate access to certain materials will be considered throughout this research as well.
Once survey results are compiled, library workers will meet to analyze this data and determine whether there were any flaws in the process that need to be addressed. This should provide an unbiased and complete view on the needs of the library, ensuring that the library staff and patrons’ opinions are effectively incorporated in the needs assessment.
Information management
Comprehensive anonymous questionnaire results will be passed along to the warden, then a visual presentation of these results will be prepared for other relevant parties, such as other prison librarians and education specialists. By doing this, Duvall State Prison Library will follow proper protocol for sharing information within the institution, recognizing both legal and budgetary parameters.
Survey results will also be communicated to library workers and staff in order to obtain internal feedback. The most efficient way to conduct this would be through a round-table forum, encouraging an open dialogue on how to properly address the needs of prison library users. The purpose of this informal session will be to listen to workers’ feedback, to exchange ideas, and to answer any questions before setting anything into motion.
Survey results
Taking action
Using the results of the needs assessment, the Duvall State Prison Library will order more titles in general and urban fiction categories, as well as humor and inspiration, considering the plausibility of content such as materials on human biology, true crime, and other controversial topics. Considering legal and budgetary limitations, the library will continue to develop the collection through donations from Prison Book Program and other similar organizations. Furthermore, Duvall will create a schedule to determine when the next needs assessment should take place in order to consistently meet the ever-changing needs of the prison’s inmates and maintain a well-stocked, balanced collection.
Bibliography